Counterfeit banknote detection pen
A counterfeit banknote detection pen is a pen used to apply an iodine-based ink to banknotes in an attempt to determine their authenticity.
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Reception
Pen manufacturers claim such pens will detect a great majority of counterfeit bills, and are an easy counterfeit detection method that does not require expensive gadgets.[citation needed]
Critical reception
Critics suggest the effectiveness is much lower. Critics claim that professional counterfeiters use starch-free paper, making the pen unable to detect the majority of counterfeit money in circulation.[1] Magician and skeptic James Randi has written about the ineffectiveness of counterfeit pens on numerous occasions[2][3] and uses a pen as an example during his lectures.[4] Randi claims to have contacted a United States Secret Service inspector and asked whether the pen works as advertised, to which the inspector replied "it is not dependable."[2] The Secret Service does not include such pens in their guidelines for the public's detection of counterfeit US currency.[5]
US counterfeiters bleach small denominations and print more valuable bills on the resulting blank paper to evade this test,[6] although changes to the currency since 2004 have made this method easier to detect. This is one reason that many currencies use different sized notes for different denominations.
Design Flaw
The effectiveness of the pens may be skewed- one way or the other. Simply having a banknote pass through laundry, depending on the soaps and bleaches used, can cause a bill to fail the test when it is otherwise OK. Additionally, it was discovered almost immediately that changing the acidity of a note, or most any other piece of paper, a napkin, typical typing paper, cardboard, et cetera, with lemon juice, will cause a false positive, that is, a place mat in a restaurant with lemon juice on it will appear to be a valid banknote.
See also
References
- ^ Shermer, Michael (January 2004). "Bunkum!". Scientific American. Archived from the original on 2003-12-18. Retrieved 2008-03-28.
- ^ a b Randi, James (2004-12-03). "Commentary". Swift. James Randi Educational Foundation. Retrieved 2008-03-28.
- ^ Randi, James (2005-07-01). "Commentary". Swift. James Randi Educational Foundation. Retrieved 2008-03-28.
- ^ Rowley, Erin (2008-03-27). "Paranormal skeptic addresses crowd". The Daily Collegian. Retrieved 2008-03-28.
- ^ "Know Your Money - Counterfeit Awareness". United States Secret Service. Archived from the original on 2007-10-23. Retrieved 2007-11-06.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Swallow, Natalie (2008-03-12). "Businesses Lose out on Counterfeit Money". Springfield, Missouri: KSPR. Retrieved 2008-03-28.